


中二追星愛情故事

by ketchup (moonlikeyou)



Category: NCT (Band), SF9 (Band)
Genre: Fanboy AU, Fluff and Crack, M/M, chani stans nct dream, exo-l au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-01
Updated: 2019-05-01
Packaged: 2020-02-10 19:37:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,094
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18667009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonlikeyou/pseuds/ketchup
Summary: Taeyang finds company in Mark, a fellow Exo fanboy, after Youngkyun bails on their plan to attend The EℓyXiOn.(literal translation of title: Eighth-Grader Syndrome Groupie Love Story)





	中二追星愛情故事

Life’s not going so great for Yoo Taeyang, 23, Exo-l.

 

Taeyang prides himself on being a dedicated, responsible fan, streaming and voting whenever he can. And when he finally manages to get past the website lag to acquire two seated VIP tickets for The EℓyXiOn, he feels like it’s a fitting reward for his hard work for Exo over the years. True, he’s surrounded by 4 tablets (Courtesy of Jaeyoon and Dawon), his phone and his laptop, and his eyes burn from staring at the devices for hours, but he’s never felt more alive.

 

Taeyang’s also not the best at making smart life choices, so instead of catching up with his uni coursework on his day off, he prioritises streaming EXO mvs in bed while he devours a 50k Office!Seho AU. Rowoon, his friend and occasional mother hen, would no doubt chastise Taeyang forever for wrecking his eyes AND his back at the same time, but he’s living his best Exo-l life, and that’s technically the only thing that actually matters.

 

He sighs as the chorus of Love Shot pulses through his dorm room, melting under the intensity of Jongin’s sultry gaze. This man existed in the same city as Taeyang? They were meeting in two months? Unbelievable.

 

His roommate, Youngkyun (or Hwiyoung, depending on his mood), had graciously offered to accompany him to the concert, and he’d agreed, albeit condescendingly. Youngkyun was what the fandom called a baby Exo-l- he owned two albums and biased Yixing, sure, but he had yet to appreciate the true artistry of Wolf and didn’t own any merch.

 

_A shopping trip was definitely in order_ , Taeyang decides, smiling as he fiddles with his sleepy Nini plushie. Along with Youngkyun’s lightstick, maybe they could pick out a cute outfit for his darling son as well. A dapper tuxedo would no doubt make his baby the best-dressed plushie at the concert, but he would look heart-wrenchingly adorable in a bear onesie-

 

The door flies open with a bang in typical Youngkyun fashion, announcing the arrival of Taeyang’s roommate, who looks suspiciously dishevelled. Not expecting the sudden crash, Taeyang jerks violently, sending Nini towards the floor as he lets out a strangled scream. He abandons his phone briefly (40k in and Sehun and Junmyeon are still ‘just friends’? Seriously.) in favour of diving downwards to save his poor angel who deserves nothing but love and kisses.

 

Running a hand through his tousled locks, Youngkyun offers Taeyang no more than a grunt as he flops onto his bed. Clutching Nini to his chest, Taeyang hurls a stray shirt at Youngkyun, determined to avenge his plushie, but his roommate avoids his attack effortlessly, rolling to a side.

 

“Aren’t you supposed to be out studying with Chanhee instead of attacking innocent dolls?” Taeyang prods Hwiyoung with a toe, tucking Nini back into his rocket-shaped pouch where he’ll be safe. “He had to go to this NCT Dream cafe event instead, so we rescheduled,” Youngkyun smothers his face into a pillow as Taeyang stares at him in disgust (He vividly remembers Jaeyoon grinding on that exact pillow on a dare), “Wake me up when it’s time for lunch, bro.”

 

“I hate you,” Taeyang grumbles, squinting at his phone as he switches to streaming on Genie, “I got us the Exo tickets by the way, so I’m technically your creditor-” His eyes widen in surprise as Youngkyun sits up bolt upright, almost like he’s been shocked, “Dude, what is wrong with you?”

 

“Fuck, bro,” Youngkyun combs both of his hands through his hair, a sign that he’s overwhelmingly distressed, “I’m so fucking sorry bro, but I forgot to tell you last night-” “Bro, what’s going on?” Taeyang’s heart seizes- what if there’s something wrong with Youngkyun?

 

Youngkyun might be a pain in the ass, but Taeyang really didn't want his roommate to die from some incurable disease, especially not when they were going to witness the presence of Kim Jongin.

 

“Bro, I’m not dying,” Youngkyun mutters as Taeyang leaps onto his bed and checks his forehead for an unnaturally high temperature. “I just can’t go to the concert with you.” “You- you what?” Taeyang withdraws his hand in a flash, “And you’re telling me now?”

 

“Yeah, I feel really shitty about it, man,” Youngkyun pulls on his hair- yup, definitely a sign of extreme stress, “I have to fly back to Busan for a great-aunt's funeral the day before, I got the news from my aunt yesterday.” “I didn’t know you had a great aunt?” Taeyang says faintly- Just like that, his idea of a perfect day crashes and burns like Inseong’s kimchi squid casserole.

 

“I didn’t know too,” The corner of Youngkyun’s lip quirks, and he offers Taeyang a side-hug, “I knew how much this means to you, man, but I clean forgot last night- I knew there was something I wasn’t remembering, but I thought it was that month-old seafood penne in the fridge, or the mouldy orange in the sock drawer-”

 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to feel bad for me,” Taeyang manages a shaky smile as he returns Youngkyun’s embrace, “I’ll just go alone, but I don’t know what to do with the extra ticket.” _Fuck, now that was a problem,_ Taeyang frowns as his mind is overcome by millions of ways things could go wrong.

 

Without Youngkyun by his side, he wouldn’t be able to get as many fansite freebies. _What if Exo saw the empty seat? They were in row C, for fuck’s sake._ Taeyang’s vaguely aware that he’s panicking, but he can’t stop his dumb brain from stressing about it even though the concert’s still two months away.

 

“You could just sell the ticket,” Youngkyun shrugs like it’s no big deal (it’s a big deal), “I’m sure Exo-ls will snap it up in no time.” “No,” Taeyang shakes his head resolutely, “What if I sell it to an Exo anti? Or a scalper? I’ll be helping them cheat Exo and Exo-ls-”

 

“Just check their profile, bro.” Youngkyun doesn’t understand, as always.

 

“Being Exo-l isn’t casual like that, it’s either all in or nothing- you can’t just be a _lukewarm fan_ ,” Taeyang spits vehemently, and Youngkyun blinks at him, “Don’t they say that about Christians?”

 

“Maybe, but that’s not the point- I can’t just sell the ticket to a stranger.”

 

“What about Youngbin or Inseong?” Youngkyun yawns, pulling on his Rilakkuma sleeping socks, “They’d go with you if you asked.” Taeyang ponders the possibility- The resident senior citizen duo would probably accompany him just to be nice, but they’d definitely fall asleep halfway through the show.

 

“Your cousin? The vocal major?” Youngkyun suggests again, resting his head on Taeyang’s shoulder, but Taeyang shakes his head, “VIP seating comes with hi-touch, and Kihyun’s scared of Chanyeol because he’s tall and handsome- can’t blame him, honestly.”

 

“Oh, Taeyang,” Youngkyun reaches up to pat Taeyang’s head- it’s kind of an uncomfortable position, but he accepts the gesture without a word, “I’m sure things will be fine- I’ll personally find the most loyal Exo-l to go with you.”

 

Taeyang reaches for his phone as Youngkyun shifts into a cosier position- he exits the ao3 tab and heads over to the Mwave app- pre voting for Mcountdown opens Friday noon, and Exo deserves that win. His eyes nearly pop out of his skull as he scrolls down the list of nominees: CLC, Everglow, NCT Dream, The Boyz, Twice… But there’s no Exo in sight.

 

Taeyang’s close to hurling his phone at the nearest wall, but he restrains himself. “Things really aren’t going well.” He murmurs, more to himself than to Youngkyun, but his roommate offers a timely snore as a response anyway.

 

Fuck Exo-l lives, huh?

 

⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣

  


Taeyang's completely fine with going to the concert alone- after all, he was a strong, independent Exo-l who only needed a handshake (and perhaps a hug) from the Kim Jongin himself. But mere days before the event, while he's in the middle of the very serious process of polishing his treasured eri-bong and picking an outfit -stylish, but not over the top-, Youngkyun drops yet another bombshell.   
  
**So what, we hot (3)**   
hey broski   
i sold my ticket to one of my rapper mans from high school so you'll have a concert buddy   
his name's mark   
  
Taeyang shudders at the term ‘rapper mans'. Knowing Youngkyun, the high school counterpart of him probably hung out with SoundCloud rappers at the back of the cafeteria, banging out some sick tunes with their cutlery as they rapped about money? Women? Drugs?

 

Taeyang had no idea, and frankly, he was quite comfortable about the lack of knowledge he had about Youngkyun's Drake-wannabe phrase.   
  
Taeyang’s secretly grateful that Youngkyun manages to shove his shapely nose into his business all the way from Busan, even though he’d rather die than admit it. Hopefully, Youngkyun’s arguably cultured friend would've grown out of his high school rapper phrase to become- well, a normal person whom Taeyang could coexist with during the best hours of his Exo-l life.

 

⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣

 

On the day of the concert, Taeyang oversleeps. He wakes up to his lunch alarm (Rowoon made him set one ever since he caught Taeyang skipping lunch for an extra dance practice session) and briefly contemplates death, staring at the ceiling blankly.

 

He had ditched the plan to arrive at the venue eight hours early after Youngkyun ditched, but he still wanted to wake up early-ish to panic, shower and panic some more. Youngkyun had sent him a proof-shot of his friend Mark the night before, and Mark had seemed pretty cool, cute with seagull-shaped eyebrows. He was also holding an eri-bong, showing superior taste in men.

 

_Whatever_ , Taeyang decides. He’ll just get ready super slowly, rewatch some EXO showtime and pray that Mark won’t ruin the best experience of his life. Being the sophisticated college chef he is, Taeyang fixes himself a quick brunch of cereal udon with orange slices as dessert.

 

(He’s pretty sure this orange isn’t mouldy, but his stomach curdles a little, which he sees as an ill omen.)

 

Taeyang dresses Nini in orange dungarees, an apology gift from Uncle Youngkyun. He looks simply adorable, and Taeyang can’t help but coo at him as he dresses himself next. Concerts were draining, so he dresses simply and brings as little as he can.

 

He then takes a quick break to rewatch his favourite EXO showtime episode, and when he’s done, it’s almost time to leave. He’s excited to see Exo, but he can’t help the nervous feeling that slithers through his veins and gives up an unpleasant brain freeze.

 

Taeyang listens to his **HAPPY EXO BOPS** playlist on the way to the venue, and it helps, kinda. There’s many other Exo-ls milling around once he arrives, and he joins the queue to get into the concert stadium after purchasing a Starbucks drink that tastes like pure sugar. He spots other Exo-ls sporting colourful headbands, and when a vendor swings by (illegally) with a bag full of Sparkly Bear Jongin ones, he’s tempted to purchase one.

 

But then the vendor brushes past him without another glance, heading towards a group of giggling girls instead, and Taeyang feels slightly snubbed. Fans near Taeyang holding Exo dolls and glittery signs seem to be all female, and he feels out-of-place all of a sudden.

 

At least he has Mark to share the awkwardness with later.

 

Taeyang’s grateful for the height advantage he has though, and even though there’s still a fair amount for fans in front of him, he can already see the lights coming from the hall. Excitement bubbles up in his chest, and he feels his lips twitch into a grin at the first notes of Monster.

 

This was going to be the best night of Taeyang’s life, Mark or no Mark.

 

Taeyang gets past security in a daze, delirious with anticipation, and he finds his seat without a hitch. A  blond guy’s already in the seat next to Taeyang- Is this Mark? Fuck, he better be- and Maybe Mark breaks into a nervous grin once Taeyang slips into his seat.

 

Taeyang’s seatmate does look like the guy from Youngkyun’s photo, much to his relief. “I’m Mark Lee,” Probably Mark sticks a hand out for Taeyang to shake, “You know, Youngkyun’s friend who bought this ticket from you? I mean, I didn’t directly buy it from you, but you get the idea.”

 

“Yep,” Taeyang accepts Definitely Mark’s handshake,”I’m Taeyang.” He’s got pretty eyes, twinkling under the concert lights. He seems kinda awkward too, which goes great with Taeyang’s personality. Neither of them talk for several seconds as they exchange shy smiles. Fortunately for Taeyang, Mark tends to ramble, saving him from the burden of starting conversations.

 

“Really good to see you today, man,” Mark grins, his nose scrunching a little as he speaks, “If Youngkyun didn’t pull out, I wouldn’t be here.” “You couldn’t get tickets?” Taeyang asks, silently admiring the golden Xiumin slogan Mark has in his lap.

 

"I was going to get a ticket, but I couldn't figure out how to access the site on my phone-" Mark's eyes sparkle as he makes an exploding gesture with his tiny hands, and Taeyang feels the corners of his lips quirk involuntarily. "-so by the time I got in- poof! they were all gone! Truly Exo's power."   
  
"Oh, you got the new iPhone? My friend got one of those too, and he said it looked so futuristic he struggled to get into the settings page." Taeyang's no technology whiz, but he's glad he can talk about something, anything so Mark won't start to think he's boring.   
  
"Oh, no," Mark chuckles to himself cutely as he pulls out his phone, and Taeyang's jaw nearly drops. It's a battered Samsung Galaxy.   
  
It's not like Taeyang's one of those ios supremacists, he uses a Samsung himself to stand up to Imperialism and to prevent Lee Dawon from facetiming him at ungodly hours, but seriously? Even his ninety-seven-year-old grandmother found navigating her Samsung to be a piece of cake.   
  
"I'm not very tech-savvy, as you can see. But hey- we're here! With Exo!" Mark's grin is infectious, and it's plain stupid how Taeyang finds Mark's straightforward, easygoing personality so endearing that his heart skips a beat.   
  
Ha ha- messing up his own tempo.

 

“Yeah,” Taeyang laughs a little- partly because of his Exo pun, partly because Mark’s just super cute-,”So you stan Minseok?” “Yeah, totally,” Mark unfurls his slogan with pride, patting the cat ears on the words lovingly, “He’s like, the only vocalist ever. Who do you stan?”

 

“Oh, Jongin- he’s an aspiration to me,” Taeyang gushes unabashedly, reaching for his lightstick, “Kyungsoo’s a strong bias wrecker though, I love his voice-” In Taeyang’s distraction, Nini tumbles out of his bag, and he feels like dying as he dusts off the doll’s brand new dungarees.

 

“Is that the bear Jongin doll?” Mark peers at Taeyang curiously as he mourns his son. Taeyang’s grip on Nini grows tighter,”Yeah.” (The ‘and what about it?’ is implied) For literally no reason at all, Taeyang feels nervous- what if Mark thinks he’s weird for collecting Exo dolls?

 

“It’s so cute,” Mark’s eyes are warm as he stares at Nini. “I know, right?” Taeyang relaxes as he holds out Nini for Mark to see,”Youngkyun bought him this outfit as an apology for ditching.” “He deserves it,” Mark laughs, cooing at Nini’s tiny rain boots,”I ordered a fairy Minseok doll, but he won’t be here until next month, but I definitely intend to take him to a concert someday.”

 

Mark’s actually a cool guy, and Taeyang finds himself happily engaged in conversation with him, clapping along as Exo’s songs play on screen. When the lights go dark, his heebie-jeebies are completely gone, pure thrill coursing through his veins.

 

“Ready?” Mark smiles at him, his face dimly illuminated by his lightstick. Taeyang waves his own eri-bong as an answer, a grin stretched wide across his own face.

 

As the screaming starts, Taeyang silently thanks the stars for his lively companion.

 

⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣

 

The concert passes in a blur- literally, since Taeyang’s in tears half the time- Exo’s performances are enrapturing as always, and much to his delight, Mark seems to be having the time of his life as well. Both of them know the fanchants by heart, and Taeyang feels like he’s on top of the world as the whole stadium roars for Exo.

 

(In fact, Mark’s such a perfect Exo-l and concert partner that Taeyang’s starting to suspect that Youngkyun paid a professional actor/Exo-l to accompany him, but he’s not complaining.)

 

After the tearful encore, Taeyang feels like his life has been drained out of him as the lights flicker back on. Mark appears to be in a similar state, eyes blank as he slumps against the seat,”Wow- that was real life?”

 

“I don’t think so, felt like a dream,” Taeyang wipes his eyes hastily,” I’m really about to hold hands with Kim Jongin looking like I just had a breakdown, huh?” “Fuck, I completely forgot about the hi-touch,” Mark jerks upright, tearing his hands through his hair frantically,”Do I look presentable?”

 

“Yeah, but hold on-” Mark stays put obediently as Taeyang reaches out to flatten a stray strand of blond hair. With neither of them moving, he’s suddenly aware of their proximity- delicate moles dot Mark’s skin like stars, and Taeyang feels himself blush.

 

“O-oh thanks,” Mark’s cheeks are pink Taeyang pulls (his hand) away, and he looks so gorgeous that Taeyang has to avert his eyes. “It’s fine, I’m sure Exo’s gross and sweaty too,” He says instead, a feeble attempt to make Mark feel better.

 

“Yeah,” Mark hangs his slogan around his neck with a dopey smile,”Men are gross, but Exo doesn’t count. Minseok could sweat on me any day.” He grimaces at that, as though regretting his words, and Taeyang laughs,”Let’s go before they shower, then.”

 

The hi-touch is already in session when they arrive, so they queue up behind other fans, bouncing on the balls of their feet. As they move up the line (at an alarmingly fast rate which makes Taeyang wonder whether he’ll even get time to hold hands with Jongin before he gets ushered away), the butterflies in Taeyang’s stomach come back in full swing.

 

“Fuck, I’m so nervous,” Taeyang voices his concern to Mark, wiping his hands on his jeans. “Same,” Mark’s slogan doubles up as a towel for him to wipe his hands on, “I think I’m going to cry when I see any of them- oh, shit.”

 

They’re ushered into the room by a bunch of tired looking workers, and Taeyang feels like he can’t breathe. It’s happening, he’s coexisting in the same room with Exo, he’s going to touch Jongin, and it’s melting Taeyang’s weak mortal brain.

 

“Is that Suho in a feather boa?” Mark squints, and Taeyang follows his gaze to find The Kim Suho, fancy with a pink feather boa around his arms. “Mr Junmyeon,” Taeyang gasps, they can’t be more than 30 feet apart, and he’s _not ready_.

 

“You go first, Taeyang,” Mark, has the nerve to act gentlemanly even at moments of emotional turmoil like this, coming for Taeyang’s title of Most Perfect Exo Fanboy, but who is Yoo Taeyang to reject a gift? “Let’s keep the tears to a minimum,” Taeyang says as they line up, single-file, and Mark gives him a saucy wink,”Sure thing, T-bags.”

 

Now Taeyang sees why Mark’s Youngkyun’s ‘high school rapper mans’.

 

Rolling his eyes, Taeyang’s lips tremble until he erupts in silent giggles, and they’re so preoccupied with their conservation (a mixture of stammered gasps and giggles which makes no sense at all) that it seems like no time has passed until Taeyang’s right in front of Kim Junmyeon.

 

Junmyeon is unbelievably gorgeous in person, features sculpted so finely that Taeyang contemplates kneeling out of respect. He smiles, waving to fans with his feather boa, and Taeyang feels tears welling up in his eyes.

 

There’s a sudden commotion further down the line, and the line stops moving, but Taeyang still can’t tear his eyes from Junmyeon’s beautiful face. “There’s the fourth Chanyeol proposal of the night, security will deal with it in a jiffy,” Junmyeon explains kindly, to which Taeyang replies intelligently,” Uh.”

 

“Thank you so much,” Taeyang blubbers as he shakes Junmyeon’s hand. He’s crying, overwhelmed by Junmyeon’s presence, and fuck, this is _so embarrassing_. But Mark’s next to him, dabbing a tissue on his face gently as Taeyang struggles to compose himself.

 

“Hey, Taeyang, you okay?” Mark asks, his doe eyes warm. Taeyang nods, patting his face as he sniffs lightly. Junmyeon gazes at them with a serene smile, holding up his boa like he’s blessing them,”You two are the cutest fanboy couple ever,” Junmyeon declares, dangling the boa above their heads,”Here’s to many years of happiness and love, you two deserve it.”

 

_What?_ Taeyang’s brain still feels like sludge, but he’s vaguely aware that something’s not right. But before Taeyang can come up with a coherent response, he’s ushered to face a bewildered Baekhyun, and he tries to forget the fact he looks like a mess as he high fives him. At the same time, he hears Mark say something crazy like “Thanks, we will.” to Junmyeon, but that’s probably just a hallucination produced by his brain in liquid state.

 

⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣⬣

 

It's a miracle that Taeyang doesn’t faint after the hi-touch, especially when Kim Jongin (!) fixes him with a look of concern (!!) and gives him an encouraging bro-pat (!!!), but he eventually staggers outside, barely in one piece.

 

There’s a guy leaning against the wall who gives Taeyang a weird look, and Taeyang freezes for a moment, staring at the backstage pass he has around his neck. Did he just embarrass himself in front of one of Exo’s artist friends? But the haphazardly scribbled name Zuho (or Znno, Taeyang’s eyes aren’t exactly trustworthy after a good cry) and the guy’s sharp, handsome features don’t ring a bell, so he decides to forget about the incident instead.  

 

“Bro, that was so wild,” Taeyang remarks to Mark, who has this dreamy look in his eyes,”Taeyang, I talked to Minseok, I said things to him and he replied.”

 

Taeyang nods, not trusting himself to speak.

 

“Taeyang, we coexisted with Exo.”

 

“Taeyang, Exo are real people.”

 

“Now that, I’ll have to contest- Kyungsoo didn’t even blink once,” Taeyang snorts, filled with bliss from head to toe,”And I don’t think a real human could sing that well, fight me on this.” They’re on the way towards the train station, and it feels like a little parade, being surrounded by fellow Exo-ls who chatter quietly, bedecked in all kinds of headbands and banners.

 

“I’m not much of a fighter,” Mark smiles bashfully, and Taeyang is seized with an alien yet compelling urge to squeeze his ears. “Not to be that overly keen guy in fics, but we should definitely keep seeing each other after this.”

 

Maybe Taeyang should get new ears and a new brain, because apparently Mark just said they should meet more?

 

“About Exo? Sure, let’s go to fansigns together or something,” Taeyang tries to play it casual, but Mark looks at him, really looks at him like they’re the only people in the world, “That would be nice, but I dunno- you just seem really cool and I’d like to get to know you better in like, a romantic sense.”

 

“Oh,” Taeyang feels really fucking stupid, but Mark doesn’t tease him about his muddled brain that struggles to compose simple sentences,”I- Are you sure?” “Why not?” Mark grins, boyish and pink-cheeked under the yellow street lights, “Junmyeon gave us his blessing, and I kind of really like you already, but I won’t pressure you into doing anything you don’t want, that’s for sure.”

 

“That’s cool with me,” Taeyang doesn’t exactly know where to put his hands, and it's kind of chilly, but everything feels just- right, “You’re kind of cute too, Mark Lee.”

 

“Thanks,” Mark looks like a million dollars as he beams at Taeyang, “I’m like, Falling For You, dude.” “An Exo pun? Ah, I see you are a man of culture as well,” Taeyang finds himself mirroring Mark’s smile without thinking,”They Never Know when I do it though.”

 

Mark opens his mouth to speak, but all that comes out is incredulous laughter. Taeyang’s very, very happy indeed, and who knows, maybe one day he’ll even thank Youngkyun for ditching him.

 

**Author's Note:**

> let's pretend The EℓyXiOn and Love Shot promotions occurred around the same time and NCT Dream is just 6dream for the sake of the story-  
> this was a whole mess but i hope you liked it! kudos and comments are vvvv appreciated and let's support sf9&nct! (taeyang and mark: stan talent stan EXO)
> 
> thank u for reading! 
> 
> 20190501


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